Trade-Off between Facilitation and Interference of Allelopathic Compounds in Vegetation Recovery: The Case of Rosmarinus officinalis in Degraded Gypsum Habitats García Robles, Helena Cañadas Sánchez, Eva María Lorite Moreno, Juan Fernández Ondoño, Emilia Mining restoration Allelopathic compounds Essential oils Facilitation This study was carried out in the framework of the research projects “Study of the ecological basis for restoration of gypsum vegetation in the Ventas de Huelma and Escúzar quarries” and “Development of techniques for the ecological restoration of gypsum habitats, P11-RNM-7061” funded, respectively, by Regional Government of Andalusia (Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo, Junta de Andalucía, Proyectos de Excelencia, P11-RNM-7061) and KNAUF GmbH Branch Spain (Project 3092, Fundación UGR-Empresa). Rosmarinus officinalis advantageously competes with other species in restored gypsum outcrops, and further research is needed to understand the causes. Specifically, we focus on the potential allelopathic effects derived from its terpenes on the emergence of gypsum species. To this end, we established 120 circular subplots in a previously restored gypsum outcrop, and randomly applied four different treatments based on the presence/absence of rosemary plants and their leaves on the soil. Afterwards, we conducted an experimental sowing of native gypsophiles. All subplots were monitored to estimate seedling emergence, and soil and leaf samples were analysed for terpenes. The results show that the treatments had significant effects on the overall emergence of seedlings, and terpenes were found in rosemary leaves and soils, with no significant differences in terpene composition. In particular, we identified a clear negative effect in the treatment where rosemary plants were eliminated but its leaves were left along with allelopathy (2.57 +/- 0.54 individuals/subplot). Unexpectedly, the presence of rosemary plants seems to facilitate the emergence of gypsum species (9.93 +/- 1.61 individuals/subplot), counteracting the effects of the allelopathic substances in the soil. Consequently, we do not suggest removing rosemary plants in early stages to encourage the emergence of gypsum species in restored areas. 2022-03-23T13:31:48Z 2022-03-23T13:31:48Z 2022-02-07 info:eu-repo/semantics/article García-Robles, H... [et al.]. Trade-Off between Facilitation and Interference of Allelopathic Compounds in Vegetation Recovery: The Case of Rosmarinus officinalis in Degraded Gypsum Habitats. Plants 2022, 11, 459. [https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030459] http://hdl.handle.net/10481/73663 10.3390/plants11030459 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Atribución 3.0 España MDPI